Cooper Sentenced for Role in McClain’s Ketamine Death during Police Subdual

Jeremy Cooper, a former paramedic from Aurora, Colorado, was recently sentenced to four years of probation, 14 months of work release, and 100 hours of community service in relation to the death of Elijah McClain. Along with Peter Cichuniec, another paramedic, Cooper had been found guilty of criminally negligent homicide for their role in administering a large amount of ketamine to McClain during his violent subdual by police on August 24, 2019. Unlike previous cases where injury or death resulted from medical intervention even with proper adherence to training, the criminal trial against Cooper and Cichuniec was unprecedented due in part to renewed scrutiny surrounding McClain’s case following protests sparked by other police killings such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The charges stemmed from an initial call regarding a “suspicious person” wearing a ski mask, which led Aurora, Colorado, police officers to confront McClain while he was walking home with iced tea in hand. Both paramedics admitted during the trial that they administered too much ketamine based on an incorrect estimation of his weight and without requesting height or weight information from him because he exhibited symptoms of “excited delirium.” During Cooper’s sentencing hearing, McClain’s mother urged the judge to hold Cooper accountable for failing Elijah McClain. The revised autopsy report released in 2022 listed his cause of death as complications from ketamine administration following restraint by police officers who had previously subdued him with a carotid hold, which cut off blood flow to the brain and rendered him unconscious. Three Aurora police officers involved in McClain’s arrest were also charged but only one was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and assault; two others were acquitted of all charges. The use of ketamine by emergency responders as a means of tranquilizing individuals against their will has been the subject of controversy, leading to investigations in several US states including New Mexico earlier this month for improper administering under civil law following criminal charges that failed at trial.